Submersible manoeuvring device

ABSTRACT

A submersible manoeuvring device ( 1 ) or manoeuvring a water vessel ( 6 ), including a motor device ( 2 ), characterised in that the manoeuvring device ( 1 ) includes a cradle to which connecting devices ( 7 ) can be attached in order to enable the device ( 1 ) to be lowered into an operational position with respect to the water vessel and subsequently removed therefrom.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a submersible manoeuvring device.

Reference throughout this specification shall now be made to use of the present invention in relation to operating as a bow thruster to aid the manoeuvring of watercraft during docking.

It should be appreciated however that this should not be seen to be a limitation on the present invention in any way as the present invention may be used to manoeuvre the bow of a watercraft at any other time, or may even be turned roughly through 90° in order that it can be used as a form of propulsion unit.

It is envisaged that this mode of operation would primarily be used to assist boats whose normal propulsion system have become disabled but it can also be fitted to a watercraft without any form of propulsion so that this watercraft is capable of a level of propulsion.

BACKGROUND ART

The manoeuvring of watercraft with any level of precision when trying to enter or exit the dock at slow speed can cause severe problems due to the characteristics of propellers and also due to the effects of wind upon the watercraft.

In some cases this can be overcome by using a propulsion system with more than one independent propeller shaft as one shaft can be used to compensate for the actions of the other.

This is however generally not practical for small watercraft as it will not only take up a great deal of extra space within the hull, but will also put a significant increase on the cost of the craft.

Docking of watercraft is generally accepted as being the trickiest manoeuvre to accomplish as there is not much room in a dock for manoeuvring the watercraft.

Accordingly, a boat has to be brought into the docking area at extremely slow speed, often at or below the minimal speed required for steering and hence controlling the boat.

Conventional power craft or sailing vessels with an engine are generally provided with a propeller system that rotates clockwise when viewed in a direction facing the bow of a boat.

This clockwise rotation of the propeller blade will tend to force the bow of the boat laterally to port, when in forward gear. When the boat is in reverse gear the counter-clockwise rotation of the propeller blades will tend to force the bow of the boat laterally to starboard.

This problem can be exacerbated by the presence of wind, particularly if a strong breeze is present, as the wind will tend to buffet a watercraft. At low speeds this will have a pronounced effect on the control and maneuverability of the watercraft.

When approaching a dock in forward or reverse gear the bow of the boat will tend to swing in a lateral direction, to port or to starboard, and this swing will become extremely pronounced when the boat is moving at the slow speeds necessary for safe, smooth docking.

Lateral swinging of the bow of the boat will cause significant problems for smooth, safe docking of the craft, making it more difficult to dock and increasing the hazards of docking manoeuvres.

This is not only inconvenient for the operator of the craft, but can also be dangerous to other water users or to the craft itself as it can inadvertently collide with the dock or other watercraft.

An alternative to this was introduced with the advent of bow thrusters. These are generally small propulsion units fitted transversely across the hull of the watercraft.

Bow thrusters are used for thrusting the bow of a boat either to starboard or to port to provide a controlled, smooth docking manoeuvre of the boat by counteracting the undesirable characteristics of the propeller.

Conventional bow thrusters consist of a motorised propeller fitted below the water line and adjacent to the bow of the boat Rotation of the propeller blade in one direction or another can be used to counteract the unwanted lateral movement of the bow, i.e.: by “thrusting” the bow of the boat in the opposite direction.

This thrusting is of particular importance in order to counteract the effects of the wind upon the craft whilst it is being docked. The greater the velocity of the wind then the greater the level of thrust that is needed to counteract the effects of the wind upon the docking operation.

Bow thrusters that are not permanently fitted within the hull require a great deal of space for storage. This consumes valuable space on or in a watercraft, which is always at a premium, and special mountings or fixtures for such bow thrusters are required, especially for the type mounted within the hull of a boat.

The bow thrusters fitted integrally within the hull adversely affect the performance of the craft as it reduces the streamlining of the craft and increases the drag.

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a submersible manoeuvring device, including

-   -   a bi-directional motor, and     -   at least one propeller,     -   characterised in that     -   the manoeuvring device is lowered into the water when needed and         can be removed from the water when not in use.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of

-   -   operating a submersible manoeuvring device, including     -   a bi-directional motor, and     -   at least one propeller,     -   characterised by the steps of     -   a) attaching the manoeuvring device to a tensioning assembly on         the vessel to be manoeuvred, and     -   b) lowering the manoeuvring device into the water until the         manoeuvring device is below the vessel, and     -   c) applying tension to the means by which the manoeuvring device         is attached to the vessel until the manoeuvring device         automatically assumes a central position on the hull.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention the tensioning assembly is the halyard gantry (or deck winch) of the vessel to be manoeuvred. However this should not be seen to be a limitation on the present invention in any way as in other embodiments any other suitable tensioning means may be used.

Throughout the present specification the term “tensioning assembly” should be understood to mean any assembly that can apply a force to the manoeuvring device to secure it into its operational position.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a water vehicle containing a submersible manoeuvring device, including

-   -   a bi-directional motor, and     -   at least one propeller,     -   characterised in that the manoeuvring device is lowered into the         water when need and can be removed from the water when not in         use.

It should be understood that within the present specification the term “bi-directional motor” should be understood to mean any drive system capable of reversing it direction of drive.

Also within the present specification the term “propeller” should be understood to mean any system capable of producing enough thrust to compensate for the sideways movement caused by the water vehicle's engines.

Throughout the specification this submersible manoeuvring device will be referred to as a “bow thruster”.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention it is lowered into a submerged position under the watercraft by the use of ropes (or strops) of a predetermined length which enable the bow thruster to be raised into the correct position on the hill by the use of a halyard gantry or deck winch (depending on the vessel to which the bow truster is to be fitted).

The motor contained within the bow thruster is connected through cables to either a hydraulic or electrical power source in order that it can be operated.

The motor of the bow thruster is contained within a moulded casing, the top edge of which is attached to a cradle and a set of guides which will be able to move in order to form the general shape of the base of the hull in order that once in position the bow thruster will not damage the anti-fouling, paint-work etc. of the hull.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention the guides will be in the form of pivoting plates.

However, this should not be seen to be a limitation on the present invention in any way as in other embodiments other guiding means maybe used, an example of which could be synthetic webbing.

The upper part of the casing also contains the attachment points for the tensioning device (examples of which could be halyard ropes or strops) in order to hold the bow thruster in place.

In some preferred embodiments of the present invention the moulded casing will contain a number of rollers in order to assist in the positioning of the bow thruster and in the protection of the hull.

It should be noted that this should not be seen to be a limitation on the present invention in any way as in other embodiments these rollers will be absent or may be replaced by other forms of bearing and protection devices e.g.: foam padding.

Also in preferred embodiments of the present invention the propeller (or propellers) are enclosed within the moulded cage with a mesh cover fitted at either end in order to minimise the chance of any obstruction entering the bow thruster and causing damage and also to minimise the danger to other water users from the bow thruster.

When needed to be put into operation the present invention is removed from its storage within the watercraft and is attached to a winching mechanism, such as the forward halyard winch, by the use of a set of ropes or strops.

Once connected to the winch the present invention is lowered overboard with the ropes from each end of the invention positioned over opposing sides of the craft.

Once the bow thruster is positioned below the craft it is raised into position by use of the tensioning assembly and due to the shape of the top portion of the bow thruster it will be correctly fitted transversely across the lower portion of the hull.

Once the craft has been successfully docked and the bow thruster is no longer needed, the tension is released on the winch so that the bow thruster will drop away from the lower portion of the hull so that it can be easily recovered from the water by a crew member.

It is envisaged that in some embodiments of the present invention the motor assembly can be removed so that other devices such as a camera or hydrophone etc. can be mounted on the cradle, or indeed these devices could sometimes be attached with the motor in situ.

It can be seen that the present invention has significant advantages over the types of bow thrusters currently available.

One advantage of the present invention is tat due to its straightforward construction and use it is more rugged in its nature and is therefore durable which will result in less maintenance being necessary and therefore a lower ongoing cost to the operator.

A further advantage is that being simpler to construct, the present invention will be simpler and cheaper to manufacture and this will therefore make the present invention more economical to purchase.

A further advantage of the present invention is that it will not need any special mountings or fixtures in order to be operated, unlike the present bow thrusters available.

Another advantage of the present invention is that due to its standalone nature, it can easily be transferred from boat to boat, unlike the present bow thrusters available as these are permanently fitted to a boat and are not portable.

Another advantage associated with the present invention is that the bow thruster can, if necessary, be turned through 90 degrees in order to form a propulsion system for a craft as the thrust will then be in-line with the hull of the craft, rather than transversely to it.

It is envisaged that this aspect of the present invention can be used to assist a watercraft whose primary drive system has failed or has been fouled by debris within the water, as the present invention can be used to provide some level of forward or reverse propulsion in order that, the stricken vessel is able to make its way to safety.

A further advantage of this aspect of the present invention is that it can also be used to provide a level of forward or reverse propulsion for a dumb vessel such as an unpowered barge.

It is envisaged that the guides will be of a suitable dimension to cope with the forces produced by the relevant size of bow thruster i.e. if a more powerful bow thruster is to be fitted then a larger set of guides will need to be installed.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is that due to its simplistic construction and relatively small size, it takes up far less space on a craft than conventional bow thrusters which will therefore provide more space to the crew for other equipment or activities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical perspective view of one preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical representation of a front view of one preferred embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

With reference to the figures there is illustrated a bow thruster generally indicated by arrow 1.

The bow thruster 1 consists of a bi-directional engine 2 housed within a moulded case 3.

The open ends of the moulded case 3 are enclosed by a mesh cover 4 in order to protect other water users from inadvertently coming in contact with the engine 2 and also to stop any detritus entering the moulded case 3 and damaging the engine 2.

The moulded case 3 has an upper portion constructed as a cradle 5 which is connected to a set of pivoting plates 9 which automatically adjust so that they easily and snugly fit onto the lower portion of the hull 6.

Having been lowered into the water the engine 1 is drawn up using a set of halyard ropes 7 until the pivoting plates 9 comes into contact with the lower portion of the hull 6.

The halyard ropes 7 are then placed under adequate tension so that the engine 1 will remain securely in position transversely across the hull 6.

Power is fed to the engine 1 via a cable (not shown) or in some cases this can be a flexible hydraulic connector.

The hull 6 and in particular anti-fouling or paint placed upon the hull 6 is protected from damage by the engine 1 by the use of a set of pivoting plates 9 to ensure that the engine 1 does not scrape the hull 6 either when being positioned or in use.

The pivoting plates 9 can be padded so that they provide more protection to the hull 6.

The engine 1 and the pivoting plates 9 are secured to the halyard ropes 7 via linking mechanisms 10 in order that both the plates 9 and the engine 1 can be pivoted with relation to the hull 6 either during positioning or use of the engine 1.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A submersible manoeuvring device for manoeuvring a water vessel, including a motor device, characterised in that the manoeuvring device includes a cradle to which connecting devices can be attached in order to enable the device to be lowered into an operational position with respect to the water vessel and subsequently removed therefrom.
 2. A submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the operational position of the manoeuvring device is a position where the inanoeuvririg device is in contact with the hull of the water vessel which is to be manoeuvred.
 3. A submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the connecting devices are ropes, cables, or the like.
 4. A submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the device is connected to a set of guides which are configured to move to conform to the general shape of the area of the hull to which it is attached.
 5. A submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the guides are pivoting plates.
 6. A submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the guides are constructed of synthetic webbing.
 7. A submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the device is connected to a number of rollers which are configured,to assist in the positioning of the submersible manoeuvring device upon the hull of the water vessel.
 8. A submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the device is connected to a form of bearings or another protection device, one example of which would be foam padding, which is configured to assist in the positioning of the submersible manoeuvring device upon the hull to which it is fitted in a manner that protects the hull from damage from the submersible manoeuvring device.
 9. A submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the motor device is enclosed within a moulded casing that is configured to have a mesh- style cover fitted at either end.
 10. A submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the motor device can be removed so that ancillary devices, such as a camera or hydrophone for example, can be mounted to the submersible manoeuvring device.
 11. A submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 1 wherein ancillary devices can be connected to the submersible manoeuvring device without the motor device being removed.
 12. A submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the submersible manoeuvring device can be transferred between watercraft as required.
 13. A submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the submersible manoeuvring device can be configured to form a propulsion system for a craft by adjusting the direction of thrust produced by the submersible manoeuvring device until the thrust is produced in-line with the hull rather than transversely to it.
 14. A submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the guides are constructed of suitable dimensions to cope with the forces produced by the bi-directional motor to which they are connected.
 15. A method of operating a submersible manoeuvring device, including a motor device, characterised by the steps of a) attaching the manoeuvring device to a tensioning assembly on the vessel to be manoeuvred, and b) lowering the manoeuvring device into the water until the manoeuvring device is below the vessel, and c) applying tension to the means by which the manoeuvring device is attached to the vessel until the manoeuvring device automatically assumes an operational position with respect to the hull.
 16. A method of operating a submersible manoeuvring device as claimed in claim 15 wherein the manoeuvring device is attached to the halyard gantry or deck winch of the vessel to be manoeuvred.
 17. A method of operating a submersible device as claimed in claim 15 or claim 16 wherein when the submersible manoeuvring device is no longer needed the tension is released on the means by which the manoeuvring device is connected to the vessel so that the submersible manoeuvring device will drop away from the lower portion of the hull in order that the submersible manoeuvring device can be easily recovered from the water.
 18. A water vehicle containing a submersible manoeuvring device, including a motor device, and characterised in that the manoeuvring device is lowered into the water when needed and can be removed from the water when not in use. 19-21. (canceled) 